Pump



Patented Feb. 23, 1926.

UNITED" STATES PATENT oFFicE.

.FRANK C. KELLEY, 0F LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF T0 ELMER W. RIGGLE, 0F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

PUMP.

Application led July 8,

To aZZ whom t may concern Be it known that I, FRANK C. KELLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Long Beach, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Pumps, of which the following is a specification.

rlhis invention relates to pumps,v and has for an object to provide a novel form of pump wherein and whereby a close fitting plunger maybe utilized, and which plunger is lubricated by novel means and in such a manner that .fine sand is prevented from collecting between the plunger and cylinder which would abraid and wear down the plunger.

The inventor is aware of the fact that A there are on the market at the present time certain pumping devices which are adapted to prevent sand from rapidly abraiding or ruining a plunger, but such devices employ a plunger which has a loose working iit within the plunger barrel, and as a consequence the pumping operation is not as eiicient as it would be if a tight fitting plunger were employed. However, to apply a tight fitting plunger would render the system and method used where a loose fitting'plunger is utilized, inoperative.

A- further object of the present invention is to provide means and a system therefor whereby sand is prevented from blocking the pump rod. A further object is to provide in a pumping device a suitable lubricating system which will prevent any rolling of metal between a tight fitting plunger and its working barrel.

Vith the above and other objects in view, includingr superiority in respect of inexpensivencss,v simplicity, and general serviceability, the invention conten'lplates an mproved pumping device which is extremely efficient, which will increase the normal outiiow of oil during a pumping operation over any known system which employs a loose fitting plunger, and which consists in the novel and useful provision, formati-on, con? struction, association and relative arrangement of parts, members and features, all as shown in certain embodiments in the foregoing drawing, described generally, and finally pointed out in claims.

In the drawing: A

Figure l is a fragmentary side elevation showing a well r-ig and means for pumping 1924. Serial No. 724,775.

oil or other fluid through casing from oil bearing strata;

Figures 2 and 3 are fragmentary cross sectional Views upon an enlarged scale showing a working barrel having a liner therein with a plunger member within the liner, said showing incorporating the invention;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary cross sectional longitudinal view on au enlarged scale of the showing of Figures 2 and 3, and taken on the lines 4 4 of such figures; and,

Figure 5 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of a modified form of the in vention.

Referring with particularity to the drawing, the improved pump is designated as an entirety in one embodiment by A, and it is to be noted that the particular form of pump in such figures is of the type known as a displacementpumpe In Figure 1, I have shown one I method employing -the pump utilizing what is known as the Walkingbcaui system, there being a walking beam as. shown at 1 operated by suitable means shown at 2 with a polish rod 3 between the walking-beam and a hollow sucker rod a. A suitable conduit or line 4 connects with the top of Such sucker rod through a flexible coupling 5 so that oil may be pumped from the oil bearing strata up through such sucker rod to a suitable reservoir. At 6 I have shown a tank within which is oil under pressure, the oil being clean of any sand or deleterious substances. An oil'well derrick is shown `at b, and as is usual various lengths of casing as shown at 7, 8 and 9 are employed which casing eX- tends within a well hole. The perforated casing within the well hole is shown at 10 and a surrounding screen at 11. This perforated casing 10 is'connected to the working barrel c by means of a suitable coupling 12, and the working barrel is likewise asso- .ciated with one of the lengths of casing through the medium of a suitable -connector 13.

Referring to Figure 2 it will be seen that the working barrel c is interposed between the two unions or connectors 12 and 13, and the union 13 is internally screw-threaded as shown at 2O for reception therein of a screwthreaded end 21 of the workingvbarrel c. Likewise t'he said connector or union is flanged internallyas shown at 22. The connector or union l2 is similarly formed 4and reference characters just applied for the connector 13 are applied to this last named connector. Adapted to be placed within the working barrel and spaced from the inner surface thereof is a liner d, which liner is provided at its ends with screw threads 23 and 24 respectively, and collar members 25 and 26 are screw-threaded upon such respective ends, with the said collar members plus the end portions of the liner received within the unions or connectors, and bearing against the inwardly directed flange 22 of the connector 13 and the ange 27 ofthe connector 12. It will thus be seen that this method will ensure a proper holding of the liner within the working barrel and between the said connectors or unions l2 and 13. The hollow sucker rod e is in turn associated with a hollow plunger f through the medium of a union or 'coupling g. The lowermost portion of such hollowl plunger carries an internal ring member 30, and a standing valve h: is seated within the union or connector 12, as shown at 31, with a Garbutt rod 32 connected to the cage of such standing valve and passed inwardly of the. hollow plunger f, such rod carrying a cross head or T` 33, which, when it is desired to pull the tubing would contact with the vcollar 30 so as to lift the standin valve from its seat 31. The standing va ve h is conventional in'form, including the usual cage `member 34 within which is a ball 35 adapted to seat andr closeean opening communicating with the cage and the perforated tubing 10, in a well understood manner. The working valve e is of slightly different is received'a member 38 forming a valve seat for a ball member 39. Spaced above the ball member 39 and connected with the annulus 36 is adiametrieally disposed stop pin 40 which acts to limit upward movement of the ball 39 Within the annulus. The sucker rod a; is directly connected tothe annulus 36 by screw-threading or otherwise, as shown at 41. A back pressure valve j is disposed between the pin 4() and the lower end of the suckerrod a., and the said back pressure valve includes a easing 42 transversely disposed within the annulus 36, such casing being formed with two axial bores 43 and/44, and with a transverse bore 45 communicating with the bore 44. The bore 43 communicates exteriorly vof the annulus 36, and the bore 45 permits communication with the space within the annulus 36 and the bore 44. Within the bore 44 is a ball 46 normally urged through the medium of a spring or the like 47 to close'communicationi between the bores 43 and 44. I The operation of the form of device just described, is as follows; y

The plunger memberf has a close working a is screw-threaded Ito a 'working valve e and said worklng valve` form and includes an annulus 36 i having an internal flange 37 within which fit with the inner surface of the liner d and as is usual the liner has a highly polished inner surface to aid in reduction of friction. In ordinary pumping the oil is usually heav'- ily laden with sand and other substances which tend to get between the plunger and the liner and to rapidly cut and abraid the surface of such liner and plunger, often so badly sanding up the well as to necessitate a pulling of the plunger from the well. In

fa/ct, in some wells located in California the plungers are pulled as often as .five time a month and 'new pumps placedin the well. The present device, as will more clearly follow, effectively prevents the necessity of replacing a pump, and at the same time prevents a sanding up of/the pump and at all times' keeps the plun er and liner free from sand. The present orm of pump is of the .displacement type, as has been stated, and the oil to be lifted is pumped through the hollow sucker rod a, A regulated amount of-'elean fresh oil'is passed from the tank 6 where it is confined under pressure oi fed from -v vsaid tank under pressure through a pipe 50 through the casing. Such oil would enter, as Figure 2 shows, between the easing 9 and sucker rod a within the liner d, and near the coupling or union 13 are transverse openings or ports 5l `in the liner d. These ports permit communication within the liner and to the space included between the liner and the inner surface of the working barrel c. Oil Y)assed downwardly through the various lengths of casing will naturally ill the space included between the sucker rod a and the inner surface of the liner d, as well as the space included between the outer surface of the working valve and the innersurface of the liner to the top of the hollow plunger f. This is valso shown in enlargement in Figure 4.

The plunger f has a certain length of working stroke, and Figure 2 illustrates the lowermost stroke of such plunger. Ports 60 are likewise transversely disposed within the liner d and the ports 51 and 60 are so disposed that the ports 51 are never closed when the plunger' reaches its uppermost excursion, and the ports 60 never open; that is to say, the ports 60 would never allow communication with the interior of the liner and the space included between the liner and work-` ing barrel, but would at all times only permit communication from the space included between the liner and workingmbarrel and a portion of the surface of the plunger. AnI annular groove 62 is in direct communication withsuch ports 60 so' that any oil passed through such ports will naturally till such annular groove and this will keep the surface of the` plunger lubricated during its working strokes.

As the plunger is lowered the fresh oil will pass from the space included between the sucker rod, Iworking valveand theinnery `surface of the 4liner, in part through the ports 5l, dowxifwithin the .space included between the liner andthe working barrel and into the ports 60. During an ripstroke of the plunger the, oil-immediately above such plunger and within the liner might cause a back pressure and-the back pressure valve j will open to allow a certain r4amount of the oil to pass inwardly of such/valve and outwardly through the port and be lifted with the oil being pumped. Thus it will be seen that a film of fresh, clean oil is at all times maintained between the liner and the outer surface ofx the plunger and that the pressure of such oil will effectively prevent sand from getting between thediner and the plunger. The pressure of the fresh oil is suihcient to prevent any oil being pumped through the sucker rod from entering between the plunger and the liner. lurthernore, the back pressure valve by allowing a certain amount of the fresh oil under pressure to enter into the column of oil being pumped aids in keeping the oil being pumped agitated so as to prevent a settling of any sand within the working valve.

Figure 5 does not differ essentially from the showing of the apparatus just described, and shown in Figures l to l inclusive, with the possible exception that no liner is used. The working barrel isadapted te connue the plunger f and a by-pass pipe communicates through the medium of couplings 71 and 72, with ports 73 and 74 passed through such working barrel. The port 74 communicates directlywith an internal annular groove 75, and the location of such ports would be the same as the location of the ports 5l and 60 for the device shown in Figures to 4 inclusive, A standing valve and working valve similar to the ones previously described would be utilized and the operation in all particulars would be the same in that oil would be pumped under pressure within the working barrel which in part. would be by-passed through the pipe 70, and the oil being pumped from the eilbearing strata would be passed through the hollow plunger and through the hollow sucker rod. This bypassing of oil, in either form of the device shown, to the lowermest portion of the plunger effectively prevents the plunger from freezing, whether within thevliner or the working barrel.

Furthermore, a circulation of the fresh oil either under pressure or by gravity through the back pressure valve above the plunger, aids in filtering the sand as it is passed through the working valve and eliectively prevents the sand from sanding up the hollow pump rod or sucker rod, while lbeing delivered to the surface of the well.

'll/'ith a tight fitting plunger it is of course possible to pump more oil or water within a given period of time than could be possible by pumping with a loose fitting pump.

The temperature Within a well hole is a.

factor' to be cnsidered, asit often happens that hot oil is encountered which tends to .expand the plunger within the working barrel. However, with my system the plunger is. at allitimes properly lubricated sothat .regardless of this Iexpansion a fairly free Vworkingaction is at all times maintained,I whereas, with the old method of. pumpingV where a tightsworliingplunger is employed the plunger-:would often' freeze Vunder the same conditions.

lt is obvious that various changes' and modifications and variations may beimade in practicing the invention, in departure from the particular showing of the draw in such liner, certain of the ports being so' disposed within the liner that they are at all times coveredvby the plunger during its working strokes.

2. A pump of the character disclosed, including a liner, a working barrel surrounding said liner and spaced therefrom, ports disposed-in said liner and permitting ecru-l munication between the liner and the illterior of the working barrel, a plunger within such liner, certain of the ports being so disposed within the liner that they are at all times covered by the plunger during its,V

working strokes while other of such ports are at all times open.

3. A pump of the character disclosed, including a hollow plunger, a liner within which said plunger is disposed for reciprocation, said liner and plunger being in close working engagement; a standing valve and a working valve, a tubing surrounding said liner and spaced therefrom, a hollow sucker rod associated with the working valve, said standing valve and said working valve opening and'closing during a pumping operation to force duid through the hollow sucker rod, and means for forcing lubricating uid beA tween the liner and tubing surrounding the liner and against the plunger and between 'the working surfaces of the liner and plunger; further means being provided for in part passing lubricating fluid within the hollow sucker rod.

ln testimony whereof, have signed my name to this specification.

FRANK'. C. KELLEY. 

